As the founding Executive Director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center, Dr. Dagher is a world-leading advocate for developing advanced structural systems which simultaneously optimize structures, materials, and construction.
Under his leadership, the UMaine Composites Center has gained national and international reputation from major research and development projects, such as:
The VolturnUS 1:8, which is the first grid-connected floating offshore wind turbine in the United States as well as the first in the world made out of concrete and composite materials
The “Bridge-in-a-Backpack” technology, which are inflatable composite arch bridges that are now approved in the AASHTO Code
The first Modular Ballistic Protection System (MBPS) approved by the US Army to protect troops in tents from blast and ballistic threats,
The development of coated wood technology for blast and hurricane resistant wood buildings
The longest carbon-fiber composite vessel built for the US Navy.
Additionally, Dr. Dagher holds more than 57 patents, and has received numerous awards, including:
The 2015 White House Transportation Champion of Change,
The Carnegie Foundation Maine Professor of the Year,
The Distinguished Maine Professor Award, which is the highest award given to a faculty member at UMaine
The American Society of Civil Engineers Charles Pankow Innovation Award
Under Dr. Dagher’s leadership, the UMaine Composites Center has grown to 220 full and part-time employees and students, has over 500 clients and partners globally, and is housed in a 100,000 ft accredited testing laboratory.
Dr. Dagher earned his Ph.D. in structural engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as two Masters Degrees in Structural engineering and engineering mechanics and joined the University of Maine faculty in 1985.
Nicole Avery is the Executive Director of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Southern Maine (BBBS). Nicole presented many ways a “Big” can help a child and the community. Children lucky enough to have a Big are shown to be 46% less likely to try drugs, 27% less likely to use alcohol, and 52% less likely to skip school. Kids with mentors are more confident, have higher aspirations, are more likely to do well in school and avoid risky behaviors.
Of the youth BBBS serve:
6% have a parent in prison;
65% come from a single parent home and,
33% live near the poverty level.
BBBS tries to match children (Littles) facing adversity, to a caring stable 1:1 relationship with a non-parent adult for support. They believe every child deserves a chance, and their Big/Little matching methods have proven to help the Big be another source of stability in a child’s life. Bigs become trusted allies, good listeners, and a caring adult friend…..they are not a social worker, a psychologist or a baby sitter.
Nicole told us how a person becomes a Big. The Big goes through a screening process, a background reference check, and some training (not unlike a sports coach these days). BBBS will help the Big create a plan on their own with the parent or guardian engaged. Bigs typically meet with their Littles about 2-4 times per month. Some Big/Little matches meet individually, and others meet in larger groups with some pre-planned activities. The average match time is approximately 15 months, and the Bigs are asked to commit to a minimum of one year. BBBS has found that shorter terms, like 4 months, can cause the child to have a feeling of loss or abandonment and be worse for a child than good. To limit potential short-term relationships, BBBS conducts a significant and intensive match evaluation process to ensure the relationship will work out. BBBS focuses on the well-being and safety of the child, and that is what makes the Big/Little relationships so strong.
Nicole asked us to compare whether resources of less than $3,000 per year per match compare to the approximately $225,000 per year spent if a child spends a year in a juvenile detention center?
So what can you do to support BBBS?
Become a Big
Be an ambassador
Donate (and double your support through a matching grant)
President Amy Chipman welcomed Rotarians and guests. Paul Tully presented the invocation, we pledged our allegiance to the American Flag and we sang in unison with our patriotic song.
We had “Happy Dollars” being contributed all around the room, as many of our members had plenty to be thankful for.
The weekly raffle drawing was led by Bruce Jones (on left in photo at right). Our guest speaker drew the name of Jennifer Frederick(on right in photo at right) to try her luck for the huge jackpot of over $1300, but the elusive Queen of Hearts was not drawn from the dwindling number of cards left in the deck. Next week's drawing will be even more than $1320!
Community Service Chair, Gracie Johnston (in photo at left), announced a new project for the month of February......see separate article this issue describing the details.
It was reported that the International Service team was currently in the Dominican Republic for the first phase of the Hearing, Hands and H2O (3-H). Traveling with the International Services Group is PP John Curran, Bill Dunn from Yarmouth Rotary, and Ryan Curran, John's son who is on his first Rotary International Service trip. Team members also include the prosthetic hand designer Dean Rock; Dr. Natalya Jenny, an occupational therapist; and prosthetics professional Eric Hurt from Hanger Clinic, a technical consultant. Last heard, their trip was going well.
Another international service project is the India trip, scheduled for the last week in February. Five have signed on, plus a couple of non-Rotarians. This project will expand the 3-H program to Asia. Rotarians or anyone else who are interested in participating in this program can contact PP John Curran at curraj1@mmc.org or 207-232-5478.
Mike Fortunato is arranging for a special fun Rotary meeting for networking and socializing on Thursday, Marcy 19th, to be held in place of the regular Friday meeting (PLEASE NOTE: No meeting on March 20). This will be an evening meeting, beginning at 5 PM at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland. Hors d'oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available. Perhaps a Trivial Pursuit game will be organized. Cost will be about the same as the weekly lunch meeting. More details to follow in the coming weeks.
On Friday, 1/24/20, Community Service Chair Gracie Johnston introduced a new Community Service project for February - The Love Month! Love thy neighbor as thyself!.....Caring, Sharing and Giving! Gracie showed a Winter Survival Bag, which contained a winter hat, gloves, lotion and lip balm.
We will provide "Winter Survival Kits" to the kids at the Preble Street Teen Center. Kits will include: mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, hand warmers/foot warmers, hand lotion, lip balm, and refillable water bottles.
Preble Street's shelter holds 24 teens, but they would welcome any number of kits. Our goal is to fill 48 kits and we'll identify them by gender. We'll be contacting Reny's and Wal-Mart for donations and are asking Rotarians to donate the items listed above. Water bottles and lip balm will be donated by Portland Radio Group.
We plan on filling the "kits" at a February meeting, so please start bringing items to this Friday's meeting, January 31, 2020.
As we receive applications for prospective members to join our Portland Rotary Club, their names will be included in our Windjammer. Any information and/or comments you would like to share about the prospective members will be handled confidentially. Please contact Loretta Rowe: lrowe@maine.rr.com. Your input will be appreciated.
PROSPECT (Sponsor)BUSINESS
Patricia Byers Retired (Amy Chipman)
Leslie Clark Portland Recovery (Gracie Johnston) Community Center
Nannette Duncanson TD Bank (Peter Goffin)
Natalie Ladd Portland Phoenix (Bowen Depke)
Jennifer Sledge Woodlands Senior (Bowen Depke) Living
Invocation: Cyrus Hagge Program Reporter: John Marr
Bits & Pieces Reporter: Erik Jorgensen
Photographer: Paul Gore Registration/Greeter: Olivier Ndayirukiye Sell Meal Tickets: Ellen Niewoehner Raffle: Jan Chapman Collect Meal Tickets:Mike Robinson Sgt-at-Arms: Larry Gross
The following items are needed on an on-going basis. Please feel free to bring them to a meeting where we will collect and distribute them to the appropriate projects.
Crutches4Africa - Crutches, canes, folding walkers and wheelchairs to be shipped to Africa. Contact: Erik Greven at: egrev95@gmail.com
Toiletries for the Shelters - Collect those tiny bottles of toiletries you are paying for during your next hotel visit and bring them home for members of our society who find themselves staying at a shelter and in need of personal hygiene products.